


Oh, to Be Young Once Again (What Do You Mean I'm OLD?!)

by myglassesaredirty



Series: Spencer Family Escapades [3]
Category: Psych
Genre: (as far as I can remember anyways), Canon Timeline, Deleted Scenes, Episode Related, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Pre-Canon, Season/Series 01, also more flashbacks included liam, henry's a dramatic boi, i dare you, i really wanted to do canon divergence but i probably won't which is gonna KILL me, i'm only doing the ones with liam james bc the other kid wasn't as fun, plus liam james looks like he could be the spencers' kid, these timelines are all screwed up, try and take that headcanon from me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 11:34:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18445718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myglassesaredirty/pseuds/myglassesaredirty
Summary: With a kid like Shawn, there are bound to be many discussions surrounding him. Sometimes, Shawn even helps his parents fall in love all over again, without even knowing it.





	Oh, to Be Young Once Again (What Do You Mean I'm OLD?!)

**Author's Note:**

> I was watching what was it? The cold open to Six Feet Under the Sea? And I just started thinking about how Henry probably found out Shawn's shenanigans and told Maddy about it and how he was going to be dramatic to find Shawn out and then the ensuing conversation as they get ready for bed on how it went. And……I'm a sucker for Maddy/Henry. So…this began.

Henry’s minding his own business, brushing his teeth, when Maddy knocks on the door frame. He turns around, quirks an eyebrow, and points to the toothbrush still in his mouth.

 

She leans her shoulder against the wood. “Shawn told me that you took the fun out of hide and seek today.” She smirks and wraps her robe more tightly around herself. “We talked about this.”

 

Henry rolls his eyes, holds up his index finger, and spits into the sink. “I told him,” he says, rinsing his mouth out with water, “how to make it easier for him to find Gus.” He breezes past her and turns out the light. “Besides, he’s not supposed to slam things.”

 

Maddy pushes off the door frame and follows Henry to their bed. “He’s eight, Henry. He’s not going to remember that. He’s still trying to convince you that superheroes are real.”

 

Henry pulls on his robe and glares at her. “They’re not real. I don’t want my son thinking superheroes are real.”

 

Maddy sighs and rests her hand on Henry’s shoulder. “I know you say that because you’ve seen too many kids jump off roofs because they thought they could fly, but Shawn doesn’t realize that you hate superheroes because you’re scared.”

 

Henry rolls his eyes and rocks up on the balls of his feet. “And because he idolizes them more than me.”

 

Maddy smiles softly and moves her hand to cup Henry’s cheek. “He does idolize you, Henry. You just don’t see it. You do the same thing whenever Jack comes in town.”

 

At the mention of Jack, Henry clenches his jaw. “That man doesn’t care for Shawn. Not really. He loves himself more than he loves his nephew.”

 

Maddy nods. “You make a valid point, and I don’t disagree with you: I think Jack either needs to step the hell up, or we need to find a way to make Jack seem less exciting for Shawn, but hon: Shawn has an active imagination. If he does become a cop, it’ll help him, but that’s why he’s so drawn to superheroes and treasure hunters.”

 

Henry sighs heavily and turns his face into her palm. “Shawn crushed Gus in each round of hide and seek because of what I told him.”

 

Maddy’s eyes twinkle, and she stands on her tiptoes. “Oh, what did you tell him?”

 

Henry tilts his head and wraps his arms tightly around Maddy’s waist, pulling her closer to him. “Wanna play a couple rounds and find out?” He kisses her jaw.

 

Maddy laughs softly. “We’d better be quiet. If Shawn even suspects that we’re playing a game, and he’s not invited, we will never get him to sleep again.”

 

Henry shakes his head fondly and steps away. “Rock, paper, scissors to see who counts first?”

 

Maddy laughs and smacks his hand away. “No way! You told me that what you taught Shawn prepared him to beat Gus indefinitely in a game of hide and seek. I want to see if you’re right.”

 

Henry smirks and leans closer to Maddy, nipping at her earlobe. “Alright, but I know you better than anyone else in the world. I have a list of hiding places you’ll go to.”

 

Maddy bites her lip. “Are you sure about that, Henry?”

 

Henry quirks his eyebrow. “Loser makes dinner tomorrow.”

 

Maddy squints at him. “You’re on.” She gently shoves him, and he rocks back. “I’m going to take off my robe, and then we’re going to get this game on.”

 

Henry laughs and sheds his robe as well, tossing it onto the mattress. “I’m counting to one hundred,” he tells her. He turns to the wall, resting his forehead against it. “One, two, three…”

 

He hears the door quietly opening, and he fights a smile.  _ So we’re expanding to the entire house. That makes it all the more fun. _

 

After he counts to one hundred, he checks both ends of the hallway outside his and Maddy’s bedroom. Closing his eyes, he stretches out his hands to both ends of the hallway.  _ If I was Maddy, which direction would I go? _

 

For some reason, Maddy always goes left when turning. No matter what it is, whether it’s driving, parking, or walking, she always favors her left. He thinks it has something to do with the fact that she’s left-handed, but she refuses to admit it.

 

Henry’s eyes snap open.  _ So, if she normally favors her left, she would  _ think _ about going right. Then she’d assume that I’d assume that she’d go right, so she went left. _ He starts moving towards his left, but when his checks of the linen closet and the stark guest bedroom show no signs of Maddy, he shakes his head and grumbles.  _ I overthought this. _

 

The laundry room shows no sign of her. Neither does the living room. Henry even stoops so far as to check the curtains.

 

“This game isn’t as fun in the dark,” he murmurs as he heads into the kitchen. Though it’s unlikely that she hid there, it’s highly possible, what with her ability to climb. He scans the tops of the cabinets for any sign of a hunched Maddy, but there’s nothing there.

 

“Holy crap,” he whispers, straightening his shoulders. “Is she still in the bedroom?”

 

Henry hurries upstairs, careful to avoid the creaky steps. He stays on the balls of his feet, ducks around the corner, and creeps back into his bedroom.

 

“Alright, little miss sneaky,” he murmurs. “Where did you go?”

 

The closet. She definitely hid in the closet. She’s probably stealing one of his shirts, if he knows her at all.

 

Henry pulls open the closet door, and Maddy grins at him, her pajama shirt in one hand and one of his t-shirts in the other.

 

“Surprise,” she says.

 

Henry shakes his head fondly and pulls her into a hug. “For a moment, I thought you went and hid in the garage.”

 

Maddy wrinkles her nose and steps away from him. “Nope. It’s too cold in there. At least this way, I could go through your shirts while you looked for me.”

 

Henry laughs softly and tilts her chin up. “You outsmarted me,” he gently accuses.

 

Maddy nods proudly. “That I did. Let me guess: you went left down the hall, found nothing, then went downstairs? Laundry room, living room, nothing, so came back upstairs?”

 

Henry narrows his eyes. “That’s scary.”

 

Maddy gently hits his shoulder and kisses him. “I’ve been married to you for ten years now, Henry. I’d like to think I know you well enough.”

 

Henry shakes his head and kisses her again. “That is the quietest I think any of us have ever been.” He kisses the tip of her nose and gently takes his shirt from her hand. “Doing anything.” He shakes out his shirt. “Arms up, unless you want –”

 

“Henry.”

 

“Yep, that’s fair.” He waits for her to hold up her arms, and then he gently slides his shirt over her arms and head.

 

She brushes her hair away from her eyes. “Just promise me, Henry,” she says, taking his hands in hers, “that you’re much better at cooking than you are at hide and seek.”

 

“I’m not that bad! You just cheated!”

 

Maddy laughs softly, but her face falls.

 

Henry furrows his brow and bends his knees so that he’s eye level with her. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

 

She studies the carpet for a moment. “Do you realize that this is the most fun we’ve had together since before we had Shawn?” Maddy looks back up at him. “And all we did was play a stupid game of hide and seek.”

 

Henry sighs. “Mad, it’s just…it’s my fault. I’ll take responsibility for that. The first time I can get a week long vacation, we can go anywhere of your choosing.”

 

Maddy smiles sadly. “Promise me we’ll make it, Henry. Please just promise me.”

 

Henry nods. “I promise, Maddy: we’re going to make it.”

 

Her bottom lip sticks out a little bit, almost like she’s pouting, except she’s not pouting. This is a serious issue, a real fear, and she’s right to pout if she wants to pout. “No empty promises?”

 

Henry shakes his head. “No empty promises.”

 

Maddy nods and kisses him gently. His lips linger on hers for a moment before he wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her in close.

 

Maddy pulls away, and Henry subconsciously chases after her.

 

(He’s always done this. No matter how many times they’ve kissed, no matter how passionate or romantic the kiss, he always chases after her. She always chases him during the kiss and sometimes after, but he always chases after the kiss. He doesn’t know why, but he always wants her to know how much she means to him.)

 

Her eyes stay closed. “Tomorrow: water balloon fight.”

 

Henry nods and licks his lips. “I’m recruiting Shawn.”

 

Maddy smacks him. “That’s not fair! I get Gus, and you  _ know _ he hates water balloon fights!”

 

Henry laughs and kisses her neck. “Why do you think I chose Shawn in the first place?”

 

Maddy presses her lips together, trying to suppress a grin, but Henry’s innocent face is too much. “I hate you.”

 

“You love me.”

 

“That I do. But I hate you right now and until I  _ win _ that water balloon fight.”

 

Henry quirks his eyebrow. “If you say so, dear. If you say so.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like it, love it, hate it? Leave a comment below or go to my tumblr, @ my-glasses-are-dirty, and tell me what you think!


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